PHOTO: SIMON LAMBERT
Every year we celebrate these blooms by making sparkling wine, syrups and, now, soda.
This soda has a more floral note with a light tang and a gentle bubble.
Makes 10 litres
4 heads of freshly-picked elderflowers
4 cups of honey, rapadura or coconut sugar
2 litres hot water
8 litres cold water
4 Tbsp cider vinegar
3 lemons, roughly chopped
Method
Pick over the elderflowers, discard any browning flowers, bugs and all stalks. Set aside.
Place the sugar into a non-reactive large vessel. Pour over the hot water and stir to dissolve the sugar.
Add the cold water, vinegar, lemons and flowers. Stir to combine and to press down the flowers.
Cover with a clean muslin cloth and leave somewhere warm for 2-4 days or until you start to see carbonation appear.
Strain the soda through a fine sieve and bottle into sterilised bottles, seal and set aside for another couple of days before consuming.
Enjoy.
